Ben Thomason

Violin

Mr. Ben grew up in the Boulder, Colorado Suzuki Strings program, studying with renowned Suzuki pedagogue Dr. William Starr and Amy Gesmer-Packman. He earned a B.A. from Whitman College and Master of Music in Violin Performance from California State University, Northridge. Ben has completed Suzuki violin teacher training in Units 1-10 with master teachers Liz Arbus and Cathy Lee, and now has over 12 years of teaching experience. He started teaching Suzuki Violin in Los Angeles with a private studio and at the Cornerstone Music Conservatory, and later served for three years as Director of the Texas Lutheran University Community Music Academy, a program of over 250 strings and choral students, and continued to teach both a large private studio and a beginning orchestra for the program. Ben has been a member of the Mid-Texas Symphony, the Santa Monica Symphony, and the Walla Walla Symphony, and recently relocated to Fort Collins and will be joining the Fort Collins Symphony on a substitute basis for the '22-'23 season. Ben also lived in China for 5 years, is fluent in Mandarin, and taught Suzuki violin at Seed Music Academy in Hong Kong. Ben's hobbies are playing strategy board games, road biking, skiing, and of course teaching, practicing, and performing the violin!